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What Drives Your Training?

We got to having an interesting discussion at the gym the other day about motivation, what makes you go into the gym day in and day out. I'm not talking about fitness or recreational lifting I guess, but pushing yourself at a very high level.

That doesn't mean you have to be successful at a high level in reference to top 10 rankings or all time records or whatever. But the topic that came up was the difference between being motivated to challenge yourself, or is it to challenge others?

One isn't better than the other since each can make you successful.

Down deep, I'm probably more motivated to challenge myself. I like doing things that little voice in my head says I can't do. I like doing things that require mental focus combined with more of a long term approach.

However there are those times when I do what I do simply because I want to match or beat someone else. haha.

Only reason I picked these two responses is because I think they outline exactly what we were talking about in the gym. What really interests me is that both of these mentalities can lead to a high success rate, but the catch is everyone has to stay focused on what works for them.

For instance a person who is driven to challenge themselves needs to stay focused on that. Often times when a person like that becomes focused on beating others, it'll wear off eventually and they will burn out. At least that's what my experience has been. But a person who stays true to what drives them will often stay more focused longer and have a higher rate of success.

This in turn brings up the point of competitions. So if a person is focused on challenging themselves, why compete? I think sometimes we forget why even compete in the first place. It becomes something that we just do out of routine almost.

Damn straight!! Even if I like the guy next to me, you can bet your ass that I wanna beat him! Why?? Because he sets a bar and I want to raise it!! For me or him? Who knows or really even cares for that matter? I just want to be better!

Whoever said "Good things come to those who wait" couldn't have amounted to much. If you want it get off your lazy ass and get it!!
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I enjoy training more than anything. That Being said I am not someone who can just dabble in things. I have to jump in with both feet and make myself better even if it means im not going to be the best.

I train for myself. I spent a number of years training and competing to "try" asnd beat others or to live up to what I thought people expected of me. I can look back now and say I hated that period of my training.

Now, I train because I want to. I work on the lifts that I want to because I feel like it. When that changes, I work on something else.

I guess it's to challenge myself. To see what I can accomplish. See how far I can push myself. Who knows. Honestly, we all probably have some kind of Daddy issues... Secretly or unknowingly trying to make our Dads proud of us. Maybe it's low self-esteem issues that we can "fix" through building our bodies up. For me it's probably a combination of those things.

But, in my sane mind I do this because I derive a great amount of satisfaction from training.

I suppose what drives my training is the desire to be different from those around me. The journey is more important to me than the destination. I bust my ass, run myself in the ground on occasion, and keep pushing because at the end of the day, even if I don't set world records or win titles, I can look at myself and know that at least I tried. When everyone else gave up and thought shit was too hard, I continued to push forward.

"All people dream but not equally. Those who dream by night in the recesses of their minds wake in the day to find that it was vanity; but the dreamers of the day are dangerous ones, for they may act their dream with open eyes to make it possible."

Kind of both.... I'm really lucky that both through my team and through Overkill Strength Equipment I've been able to train with some lifters that I really look up to. Guys like Jose Garcia, Jason Patrick, Noel Lavario, Rob Luyando, and dozens of other brutally strong guys - and all of the friends that I meet when competing.

When I started lifting it took me 9 months to bench 135. After that I set my goals to be stronger than the guy I trained with at the time. When I started at Frantz's gym I looked at all the guys stronger than me and just told myself to be better than the next guy stronger than me. Every PR total or PR lift I make that passes someone up sets new goals for me to beat as I aim for the lifts/totals of the next guy stronger than me. If a teammate or friend hits a big PR that just motivates me to push harder to catch up or stay ahead.

1. A need to be self fulfilled. I was very small as a young man and didn't turn into a mountain until after I got out of the military. All the bullying and picking on just made me stronger. Please note it did not make me a psychopath killer. It made me determeined to be a better man.

2. Comaraderie with those who share my interests.

3. The increasing need to be able to defend my family and what is mine, should SHTF.

4. A need to remain strong as I get older and trust me the other 80% of lifters in my gym aren't doing it.

5. Love for my daughter and wife and the looks on their faces when I tell them of a new success.